A Day in Italy (Around the World Series)
Free Download: A Day in Italy PDF
➣ ITALY FACTS.
Set up some chairs in your home to resemble a plane. Have your children show their passports (print from the Italy PDF) as they get seated. On the “plane ride” to Italy, give each child an “Italy Facts Book” (free download from 123 Homeschool). Go through the book together, practice some handwriting, and add any extra detail you’d like.
Watch one or more of these learning shows as you eat a plane snack.
Italian Colesseum - watch beforehand, as this may not be appropriate for all children
Sistine Chapel - end with this one, as it leads up to our next activity.
➣ ART/CRAFT.
Hop off the plane to learn more about Michelangelo. Choose one or more of these options:
- Back Art: Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Tape paper onto the bottom of a table, and have children color their paper with markers while lying on their back.
- Italian Fresco Painting: Michelangelo used Fresco Painting as he painted the Sistine Chapel. He applied plaster, allowed it to half dry and painted the plaster to insure the color was permanent as it dried. Click the link to see how we did this at home.
- Soap Sculpting: Michelangelo was also a well known sculptor. Practice slowly making designs in Ivory Soap (get extra to do our Soap Experiment next week!) with a butter knife and toothpicks. You can dip your finger in water and use it to smooth out the soap. This takes a lot of patience.
➣ SPORT: Soccer.
Go in the backyard or a nearby field to play soccer. Print the Soccer Skills Checklist and mark the items off to make this activity more interactive.
- Wall Kicks: Kick the ball at the wall and trap it as it comes back.
- Trap the Ball: Toss the ball to your kids and have them practice trapping it with their chest, feet or head (headers).
- Red Light, Green Light. Dribble from one side of the room to the other. When you say green light, they dribble. When you say red light, they stop dribbling.
- Volcano. Set up cones (or water bottles). Kids practice dribbling to the left and right of the cones. They can't knock over the "volcanoes" or cones.
- Score a Goal on Mom.
➣ RECIPE: Homemade Pizza.
Margherita Pizza has the colors of the Italian Flag, named after Queen Margherita. Make the dough from a few simple ingredients, and and allow it to rise for two hours.
➣ MATH/SCIENCE: While the dough rises, do this activity. Watch this video on Pompeii - Youtube, and create an “Exploding Mt. Vesuvius Baggie” representing Mount Vesuvius.
➣ DINNER. Homemade Pizza & Gelato.
Divide the dough into six pieces. Roll out the dough, and set out ingredients for everyone to decorate their own pizzas. Bake them and serve gelato for dessert.
➣ MOVIE: Pinocchio.
This movie is based on the Italian book, The Adventures of Pinocchio, by Carlo Collodi. This movie wasn't our favorite.
Glue a passport stamp into your kid's passport books and fly home!
